The State of Mac News/Rumors

Staff Member

Just thought I'd write a few thoughts about the state of the Mac news/rumor scene and how it relates to how MacRumors is run.

As you might have noticed, MacRumors is generally a low-volume update site, with focus on more major items and rumors. There has been some delays in publishing certain information. Part of it is simply a time issue for the admins... but there is a larger portion of it, however, that is due to specific decisions not to post clearly fake or otherwise sensationalist items.

As Mac/iPod coverage has grown, and the legitimization of Mac/Apple Rumors, more and more sites are starting to carry rumor and speculative content... and there's a certain drive to post items quickly no matter how outrageous or speculative.

A few examples of this have occurred recently, such as the Apple Feb 22nd Invitation, and iPod Video photos. Items which in the past would have made a few rounds on various forums but died out are now becoming "headline news" at many sites. We've avoided popularizing these items in the general interest of minimizing disinformation, but once items become popular enough and submitted enough, we'll generally feel obligated to post a brief item on our Page2

Mac Rumors has always been a sort of clearing house of news and rumors with linkbacks to relevant items and references. We've always tried to keep things within reason and focused -- in doing so, we've avoided purely speculative content ("I think Apple should...") and avoided purely attention generating claims or images. I think we'll keep this approach for now as its worked for us up until now.

That's a very fair official line for MacRumors to take and I agree it's the best way to maintain credibility. However, does it extend to private speculation threads? In other words, are we still able to create our own threads based on these outrageous claims made by other sites/sources?

Staff Member

That's a very fair official line for MacRumors to take and I agree it's the best way to maintain credibility. However, does it extend to private speculation threads? In other words, are we still able to create our own threads based on these outrageous claims made by other sites/sources?

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Of course... the discussion forum is open to wild speculation and whatever.

Totally agree, when I read speculative rumors it's all in good fun and interest. But if it makes it to the front page, I than get i better idea about the rumor and the possibilities. That's the great thing about this system and this site

I quite like it because the news is posted very objectively whereas other sites say things like. 'A very reliable source (i.e. we just met him) informed us he saw a blue shipping label on an Apple box today. This can only mean one thing...the long-awaited (i.e. just heard about) Apple media center with break-out 9G video iPod is coming tomorrow! Maybe!'

I think I might have started a thread on it here but the best one was MacOSRumors.com claiming that iPods would be used as webservers. They said something like 'you'll begin to see a lot of bits pushed out through those firewire connectors'. Brilliant

I've been here since August, and I left a lot of other sites because they were crap compared to MR, it's become my home, my sanctom, my haven - it's a very well laid out site with great content and an awesome community.

To be honest I don't think many of us come here for the rumours. Personally it's all about the forums for me, if the discussions on the latest rumours pop up then it's all well and good, but rumours aren't why I visit.

Whilst I appreciate the front page roundup, I hardly ever see it as I prefer to hit the forums directly . The front page is for noobs

Rumours you can get anywhere but the community/forum is what makes MR.

As with the others here, I agree with this approach as well. I come to MacRumors to get the latest legitimate news, and don't want to see some wild-ass speculative crap bombard the front page every day. When I read a front page article on MR, I want to know that it has been looked into and that there is at least some validity to what is being discussed. I have referred many friends and potential switchers to this site as well, and don't want MR to be looked upon as non-credible source for information, as some of these people base decisions on certain items. A perfect example is a friend of mine who wants to buy a new iPod - I referred him to the site, and now he is going to wait a couple months to see if the rumored new versions come out (understanding that at the end of the day, it's still just a rumor, not a sure thing, which is fair.)

So, I definitely think you guys are doing things the right way Arn - keep up the good work.

There has been some delays in publishing certain information. Part of it is simply a time issue for the admins... but there is a larger portion of it, however, that is due to specific decisions not to post clearly fake or otherwise sensationalist items.

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I actually like these boards a lot. Most of the time, the rumors are relevant and timely. However, let's talk about the real reason MacRumors is always 3rd or 4th on the scene of a rumor.

By waiting to publish "secret" information, this site is merely trying to avoid liability for subverting Apple's secrecy policy. I've noticed that the administrators carefully tack on a "Think Secret reports" or "According to AppleInsider," before each news story containing speculation. This didn't happen until Apple filed an action against Think Secret for predicting product releases (a little too accurately).

I'm not sure the waiting before publishing comes from a desire for accuracy. This is evident from the main rumors page being rife with "market analyst expectations" for product releases, which are hardly accurate indicators of product releases.

We should discuss ways that Macrumors can avoid the ire and resulting cease and desist letters of Apple while maintaining up to date, relevant rumors, even if merely speculation. For honestly, the "submit rumor" button on this page has become worthless; we've been getting all of our rumors only after being published at other sites for a long time now.

To be honest I don't think many of us come here for the rumours. Personally it's all about the forums for me, if the discussions on the latest rumours pop up then it's all well and good, but rumours aren't why I visit.

Whilst I appreciate the front page roundup, I hardly ever see it as I prefer to hit the forums directly . The front page is for noobs

Rumours you can get anywhere but the community/forum is what makes MR.

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Indeed. I come for the news but a big part of it is because of the people here. I come to free my mind from the stress of the day and sometimes help people out but the news is a plus.

Staff Member

I've noticed that the administrators carefully tack on a "Think Secret reports" or "According to AppleInsider," before each news story containing speculation.

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Do you understand what a clearinghouse is? If not, see arn's first post above. Attributions are not "tacked on" as afterthoughts; they are part of what is being reported, and one of the most important factors on which to judge the credibility of the information.

Do you understand what a clearinghouse is? If not, see arn's first post above.

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Nope, no idea. Please explain, in the most didactic, pejorative terms possible. On a more serious (and less miffed) note, say I knew several people on different teams at our favorite computer company who gave me all kinds of different information about upcoming product releases, and through which I'd recieved all kinds of photos of hardware before release. I'm willing to bet the mods here would fly on an El Al jet that'd been diverted over an Iranian airbase first before they'd post the rumor. Why? Because if they posted the rumor first - before any other site - they'd be in the same hot water Think Secret has been wading in since it caught Apple's ire for releasing proprietary, private information about upcoming products. There'd be no one to blame, to cite to, when Apple came knocking on your door, incensed about th accuracy of your new crystal ball.

I know people with far more accurate information than has been posted at any rumor site. Unfortunately, you'd never publish anything they said, simply because you wouldn't want to deal with the consequences of them being right.

Staff Member

Jon'sLightBulbs, your speculation is simply wrong. The MacRumors guidelines are based on the credibility of a rumor and its source, not on Apple's opinion of the site. Choosing which rumors to put on Page 1 and Page 2 is a judgment call almost every time. Perhaps your preference might be to see more posted stories about the less credible rumors, or to have MacRumors try to be the first to break stories even when evidence is unreliable, but that's not the site's goal.

If you or another member has a great scoop to share, you may start your own thread with no evidence other than your word. If you want MacRumors to consider it for a Page 1 or Page 2 story, the Submission system serves that purpose and then the call is up to the editors.

By sorting stories into news vs. rumors, Page 1 vs. Page 2, and letting members comment, rate stories positive and negative, or start their own Current Event or rumor-related threads, MacRumors provides many ways for members to get information, share information, and make their own judgment calls about rumors.

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